Sex in Thailand

Want to know more about sex in Thailand?

Sharing borders with Myanmar, Laos, Malaysia and Cambodia, the Southeast Asian country of Thailand is home to almost 69 million people. A largely Buddhist nation, Thailand is a popular tourist destination and almost 36 million people visit the country every year.

In this guide, we take a look at the prostitution and pornography laws, the state of the adult industry plus social and cultural attitudes towards sex.

Sex in Thailand

Known as the land of the free, Thailand is one of the only Asian countries that has never been colonized by a European nation. The Thai culture is therefore one of the best preserved despite recent western influences.

Bangkok is a modern city embracing traditional values with contemporary culture. Image via Pixabay.

Almost 95% of the nation is Buddhist and, historically, many young men would serve time as a monk. Though less common, this tradition pervades in some areas of the country.

Like many Asian countries, Thai people live in extended family groups which can make physical relationships a little hard for the younger generation. As a result, love hotels are common and these motels rent rooms by the hour for courting couples. They are also a popular place to go for men using the services of a prostitute.

Sex tourism in Thailand is very popular and Bangkok has several large red-light areas. Entertainment venues selling sex are common and you can find a variety of ways to get services from ‘short-time’ love from street hookers, manual and oral in salons and soapy massage parlours to full service. The industry is diverse and inexpensive with the added appeal of attractive Thai girls.

There is also a long history of Western interest in Thai wives and girlfriends with a regular stream of men visiting the country specifically seeking a long-term partner.

Women who do not work in the sex industry do not generally enjoy a great deal of sexual freedom and they are largely expected to be submissive and docile. Women are expected to be virgins when they marry and remain monogamous.

A traditionally patriarchal society, gender inequality is an issue and women face discrimination in the workplace, in education and in the home. There is a good deal of double standards at play between men and women with Thai men being encouraged to seek sex for pleasure and recreation.

Due to these factors, there is a ready supply of women who are actively seeking relationships with western men. The appeal of emigrating to a country which offers greater opportunities for women cannot be ignored.

In spite of the reputation that the country has for its sex industry, the general population has a rather conservative view of sex. Public nudity, showing affection and talking about sex are culturally almost taboo but western influences and urbanization are challenging traditional views.

A poll undertaken by Time Magazine in 2001 revealed some of the sexual appetites and habits of the nation and identified that:

87% of men initiate sex compared to just 14% of women.

80% of men and 72% of women have had oral sex.

64% of Thai men and 59% of Thai women need extra stimulus to get aroused with two in five men and one in five women regularly watching porn.

8% of men and 5% of women have engaged in ‘cyber-sex’.

30% of Thai men and 61% of Thai women have only had one sexual partner with 11% of men and just 2% of women having had more than 13.

Vaginal and oral sex are quite common but anal and fetishist sex is not.

Though Thailand is known for its sex industry, the traditional culture is less overt. Image via Flickr.

Sex education is Thailand is quite poor and is a result of the subject being a social taboo. Parents are not forthcoming with information, partly from embarrassment as well as their own miseducation. It is reported that many parents give false information. However, sex can form part of humour in Thai culture and ribaldry among same-gender peers is more common than serious discussion on the subject.

The subject was first introduced to the curriculum in 1978 but merely covers biology as opposed to sociocultural issue. However, lessons do include some level of education on contraception, STDs and safe sex.

The first case of HIV/AIDS was reported in Thailand in 1984 and the country has had one of the highest prevalence rates of the disease in Asia.

As a result, condom use in the country is quite high and the government backed 100% Condom Use campaign has been quite successful. Sex venues commonly have signs up which state ‘No Condom, No Sex, No Refund’.

Overall, Thailand has a convergence of beliefs, morals and traditions with influences from the West which has produced an environment in which sex is common and tolerated but not accepted. The sex industry and pornography are illegal but mainstream. Like many Asian nations, sex is a private part of social life but is viewed with modesty in public.

Adult Industry in Thailand

Producing and distributing porn is illegal in Thailand and the country has banned many porn sites on the internet. However, policing is fairly slack and censorial powers used by the state appear to be selective rather than overarching. Certainly, internet users who employ a proxy server can readily bypass state filters.

As a result, porn is available but the majority of this is amateur produced content though the country does attract foreign porn makes. The combination of the low cost of production plus a large number of adult sex workers which makes Thailand an appealing place to work. Not to mention the fact that it is a beautiful area of the world with good-looking women.

The American, ‘Naughty Nigel’ is one such film producer who has made a name for himself by capturing his exploits with various bargirls. His work features on premium pay-per-view sites such as Cream Pie Thais and Asian Suck Dolls.

The exploits of a ‘Farang’ in Thailand are explored on ‘Naughty Nigel’s’ site. Image via AsianSuckDolls.

Though such activities are criminal in Thailand, most charges are settled before they reach court and money talks when it comes to avoiding lengthy jail terms.

Traditionally, porn in Thailand is more suggestive and erotic than hardcore and printed content is more common.

Top Porn Stars in Thailand

Due to the current laws, professional porn stars from Thailand find regular and well-paid work outside of the country with most working in America. Some have found work in other Asian countries that have a good adult industry, notably Japan.

Though born in the USA, the most famous porn star with Thai heritage is undoubtedly Lucy Thai. She is well known for her DP scenes as well as interracial and bukkake action. Over the years she has worked with some of the larger production studios including Brutal Asia, Swank Mag and the Stoned Group. Her sister, Nyla, is also an adult movie star whose work can be seen on ‘Teens with Tits 5’.

There must be something about sibling rivalry in Thailand as sisters Abbie and Annie Lee are also big names in the industry. They are both American but are of Thai descent with Abbie being born in Bangkok. They have worked with other Asian stars London Keyes, Jesica Bangkok and Asa Akira.

According to the popular porn tube site, XVideos, the top ten Thai porn stars of recent times are:

Porn Star

Video Views

Asian Ranking

World Ranking

Heather Deep

188,526,836

7

113

Lucy Thai

79,301,178

13

550

Thai Princess

10,631,850

27

1,143

Priva

17,526,397

35

1,580

Natt Chanapa

69,014,633

66

2,363

Lolita Cheng

23,580,673

81

2,644

May Thai

11,132,345

120

3,456

Annie Lee

3,140,151

123

3,541

Kasorn Swan

4,714,977

123

3,634

Cexcy

3,367,285

142

3,931

The Notorious Natt Chanapa (also known as Kesarin Chaichalermpol or Nong Natt) fell foul of her country’s pornography laws in 2005. Chanapa was arrested after films were found showing her having sex with a variety of Japanese and Western men. She was lucky enough to escape harsh punishment but received a large fine and suspended prison sentence. Now retired, Chanapa’s best titles include ‘Jan Dara: The Beginning’, ‘Tokyo Hunter’ and ‘Asian Heart’.

She also made headlines when she married the aging multi-millionaire, Harold Jennings Nesland Jr in 2016. Labelled a gold-digger, many viewed Chanapa’s commitment to the 70 year old architect with some cynicism. The relationship wasn’t to be and she divorced him in 2017, announcing plans to return to the adult film business.

Other Thai stars of note include:

Mya Luana

Kim XXX

Suan Lecroix

Natalie Wang

Sai Tai Tiger

Nicha Lee

Rosie Rocket

Ladyboy Long Mint

Yasmine Lee

Farang Ding Dong site, a speciality porn site featuring women with enormous breasts has quite a few Thai models including Duan, Bee, Bono and Fern. The latter’s chest size is a whopping 100”+.

Home of the Asian H Cup, Farang Ding Dong has the largest breasts in Thailand. Image via FarangDingDong.

Prostitution Laws in Thailand

Prostitution in Thailand is illegal but the law is very rarely enforced. The industry is estimated to bring around $6.4 billion in revenue to the country or 1.6% of the GDP.

The trade is legislated under The Prevention and Suppression of Prostitution Act 1996 which specifically prohibits:

Persons who solicit sex ‘in an open and shameless manner’.

Persons who cause a nuisance to the public.

Persons associating in a ‘prostitution establishment’.

In general, prostitution that takes place in private does not carry penalties but heavier penalties can be meted out to owners of brothels, prostitution rings or trafficking.

The country’s sex trade originally boomed during the 1960s and 1970s coinciding with the Vietnam war. American troops were regularly flown to Thailand for R&R (Rest and Recuperation) breaks; these were more commonly known as I&I breaks – Intoxication and Intercourse.

Since the 60s and 70s, the low cost of prostitution and relatively easy access has led to the country being a prime spot for sex tourism. The capital of Bangkok is easily the largest hub for the trade but popular holiday resorts of Ko Samui, Pattaya, Chiangmai and Phuket also have popular red-light areas.

Estimates on the number of prostitutes working in the country vary hugely with some placing the figure at just 30,000 whilst others believe there are more like a quarter of a million.

Sex workers can be found in a variety of entertainment venues from karaoke and hostess bars to soapy massage salons and blowjob bars. Some venues are run as brothels and the escort industry is also active. In the red light districts of Bangkok, such as Patpong, Soi Cowboy and Nana Plaza, street prostitution is rife.

Thailand is well known for its red-light areas such as Soi Cowboy. Image via Wikipedia.

After considering a legalised system in 2003, the Thai Government has pledged to abolish the sex industry in the country.

Thailand Porn Viewing Trends

Pornography is legal for personal use but is illegal to produce and distribute with the intention of selling it to the general public. Enforcement of the law is quite lax and though some websites are banned, many are still available to access from Thailand.

However, global tube hosting site, Pornhub is the 49th most visited site in Thailand receiving more visitors that popular global shopping channel, Ali Express.

Thai people are searching the site regularly for hentai, yaoi and virtual reality content; in fact, Thailand is the most popular country for VR porn.

Porn featuring women in glasses is also popular in Thailand and they are the 9th ranked country in the world where this search term is used regularly (Hungary is in first place, followed by Poland, Croatia, Finland, Czech Republic, Ireland, Serbia and Canada).

According to PornMD, the top ten most searched terms for porn in Thailand are:

Japanese

Thai

Thailand

Japan

Korean

18

Japanese Mom

Japanese Wife

Asian

Mommy Son

The search term dad/daddy is also a popular one in Thailand and they are only ranked behind the Philippines for these keywords.

Women in Thailand are 38% more likely to be watching porn on their mobiles than Thai men.

Best Thai Porn Sites

Thai Porn is readily available across all of the major tube sites including Pornhub, XHamster and XVideos. However, there is an abundance of good sites dedicated to Thai porn stars, both amateur and professional, including ladyboys.

LGBTQ in Thailand

Often viewed as an LGBTQ friendly tourist destination Thailand is quite liberal minded but legislation is only just beginning to reflect the growing social tolerance for this community.

Beyond the iconic ladyboys of Bangkok, LGBTQ citizens can face discrimination and do not enjoy some of the same rights afforded the heterosexual population. Attitudes have been changing over the last few decades and, since the 1990s. It was only in 2005 that transsexuals and homosexuals could join the army having previously being exempt from national service due to their ‘condition’ being classed as a mental disorder. Other institutions have been adapting to a rising number of LGBTQ members and Thai prisons allow inmates to be placed in the prison which matches their adopted gender.

Synonymous with Thailand, ladyboys enjoy less discrimination as performers than in the community. Image via Wikimedia.

Same sex activity had been legal since 1956, homosexuals have the same age of consent as heterosexuals (15 years old). However, there is no recognition of same-sex relationships in law; either as a civil union or by marriage. A bill to pass legislation on same-sex relationships is in the pipeline and has good cross-party support. W

It could be some years before same-sex marriage is legalised with just 59.2% of the population supporting the notion.

In 2015, the Gender Equality Act become the first piece of legislation which officially referred to homosexuals and bans any discrimination on the grounds of gender and sexuality. There is a clause in this which exempts the law from applying to educational and religious groups or if such discrimination is ‘in the public interests’.

Transsexualism is common in Thailand and the gender reassignment surgery (GRS) has been performed in the country since 1975. Due to their competitive prices and experienced surgeons, Thailand is currently one of the most popular international locations for health-tourists to have GRS surgery.

Despite Thailand’s reputation for its ladyboys and the ease of access to surgery, transsexuals still face discrimination in many aspects of their daily life. Ladyboys who perform in clubs and bars generally do not face this problem but individuals pursuing other careers can face humiliation, harassment and prejudice.

There are incidences of hate crime and violence towards members of the LGBTQ community but these are quite rare. However, they can and do include physical and sexual abuse as well as verbal assaults.

Since the military coup in 2006, Pride was suspended but recommenced in 2017. Image via Wikimedia.

In general, Thailand is a safe place for LGBTQ tourists as long as they exercise a general level of caution for their safety. Bangkok in particular has a large and vibrant gay community where diversity is celebrated. After eleven years of abstinence, Bangkok is once again hosting a Pride festival from 2017.

Top Classified/Personals Sites in Thailand

In the city of Bangkok, personals dating is very common with a particular focus on Thai women seeking wealthy western men for serious relationships or holiday dating with benefits Of course, there are plenty of sites that also offer genuine connections for singles looking for romance as well as those offering casual encounters.

Outside of Bangkok, there are pockets of the Thai community that use the internet for dating purposes but these tend to be focused around the larger cities and towns of Phuket, Pattaya, Ko Samui and Chang Mia.

Free/’Freemium’ Classified Sites

Our first selection focuses on free classified sites where the principle focus is on casual sex and hook ups. There are certainly a good deal of women who use these sites to advertise paid sexual services and you should be cautious when responding to ads that some of the listings are professionals.

Some sites offer a free service but the best features are available on a paid subscription basis.

Premium Dating Sites

These sites are often available with free registration but require a paid subscription to access the most useful features. They offer a range of ads from those looking for a no-strings-attached date to the lonely hearts searching for love. Some are even designed around holiday ‘romances’: